Home Schooling; Marine Education
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 2:59 pm
This topic is not complete rant, but fair warning it may contain elements some could consider a rant?
I noticed a news article today that mentioned there were only 13,000 home schooled young people in the 1970's but there are more than 5,000,000 now. And that lead me to remark (here) about the idea that boat owners, builders, repair services providers and fishermen have a very large amount of information we can share with the home school community and the young people still in 'school'.
Some, not all by any stretch, of the home school programs allow for the parents to create topics or subjects of learning that aren't in the "gummint" school curriculum. This is where we come in as potential teachers for the home schooled young people. We, our metal boat community, hold a vast amount of information on many subjects that are completely valid to be taught - but can't be afforded in a gummint school setting.
For example we know about many 'marine science' topics. Boat handling, maintenance of metal boats, navigation, engines and electronics to some degree. Any one of these (and countless more) topics could be the basis of an entire semester of study by different age groups; that is- material presented has to be appropriately geared to the ages of the learner.
Let's take Boat Handling as a means to discuss this topic a bit? You'd have to introduce the ideas of rudders and sails- and that would lead to exploring history of the sail shapes, hull types, and rudders evolution from the "larboards" to the current plate on a pivot types. Notice this study of the rudder and ships would lead to some world history and the impact of trade, military forces and even the various imperial and colonial structures found in the past: all based on the influence by hull type and rudders! Further, you'd need to discuss forces like thrust, drag and form then you'd need to explore vectors and even begin to learn about water flow and to some degree, assuming an age of the learner- even start to deal in fluidics.
As a another approach, many schools lots of churches and plenty of Eagles, Elks, and community halls can be found to give an evening's use of a large open room where half dozen or more young people could be presented with a flat plywood 'boat' shaped vehicle that had casters underneath and actually begin to experience the needed steering and planning required to land into a berth, pick up a mooring or make turns in tight spaces all done on the gym floor with a real sized flat outline shape of a boat with casters underneath and a single motor drive. Take apart a child's electric 'jeep' and mount the drive to the bottom of a plywood hull outline in Plan View?
A set of rubber bottomed plywood 'cleats' or bollards can easily be put along a dock- and young people could begin to learn the basics of line handling and what spring lines are and how they might aid a boater? Knots, lines, hoisting and rigging, there are numerous aspects of boat handling that lead in all sorts of directions that you as a knowledgeable boater know and understand- and all of that could be formalized enough to contribute to a marine science part of home schooling program.
There are few limits to the number of topics that can be explored with a young person who's interested in boats. Your imagination is the only limit- that and an attitude of willingness to share your knowledge with others, especially those younger.
I'm currently involved with one family leading their teenager in learning to design and build welded aluminum boats. Perhaps you're not a builder? and that scope is more than you can offer- but there are subjects you could offer to help teach. We've started on three fronts all at one time. Drawing on the drafting board with traditional tools (CAD will come later) so the ideas of hand drawing and lots of practice doing it the old ways- also we're discussing skiff design specifically- and we're drawing those too. Step by step we've progressed from somewhat homely and less sophisticated lines by a complete beginner to seeing clean lines, fair shapes, an eye for proportion and are shortly to begin modeling the first in a series of hull models to scale. And last, we've begun to weld using stick rod and running padding beads on thick plate steel. I intend to move as time allows on to the next step in each area of learning until he's able to design and build his own boat. Don't know how long that will be but.... if he's willing to learn, I'm willing to teach.
I enjoy my few hours a week with the young man I'm teaching, and I think you would as well? So I'm suggesting that you explore what you might be able (and willing) to share in the way of your boating knowledge with younger people.
I do realize that some home school programs are controlled by the gummint schools, and those are likely not worth contributing to? But there are other much less controlled programs where you can find a niche- and with a little planning can make a worthwhile contribution to some young persons' education.
Cheers
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK
I noticed a news article today that mentioned there were only 13,000 home schooled young people in the 1970's but there are more than 5,000,000 now. And that lead me to remark (here) about the idea that boat owners, builders, repair services providers and fishermen have a very large amount of information we can share with the home school community and the young people still in 'school'.
Some, not all by any stretch, of the home school programs allow for the parents to create topics or subjects of learning that aren't in the "gummint" school curriculum. This is where we come in as potential teachers for the home schooled young people. We, our metal boat community, hold a vast amount of information on many subjects that are completely valid to be taught - but can't be afforded in a gummint school setting.
For example we know about many 'marine science' topics. Boat handling, maintenance of metal boats, navigation, engines and electronics to some degree. Any one of these (and countless more) topics could be the basis of an entire semester of study by different age groups; that is- material presented has to be appropriately geared to the ages of the learner.
Let's take Boat Handling as a means to discuss this topic a bit? You'd have to introduce the ideas of rudders and sails- and that would lead to exploring history of the sail shapes, hull types, and rudders evolution from the "larboards" to the current plate on a pivot types. Notice this study of the rudder and ships would lead to some world history and the impact of trade, military forces and even the various imperial and colonial structures found in the past: all based on the influence by hull type and rudders! Further, you'd need to discuss forces like thrust, drag and form then you'd need to explore vectors and even begin to learn about water flow and to some degree, assuming an age of the learner- even start to deal in fluidics.
As a another approach, many schools lots of churches and plenty of Eagles, Elks, and community halls can be found to give an evening's use of a large open room where half dozen or more young people could be presented with a flat plywood 'boat' shaped vehicle that had casters underneath and actually begin to experience the needed steering and planning required to land into a berth, pick up a mooring or make turns in tight spaces all done on the gym floor with a real sized flat outline shape of a boat with casters underneath and a single motor drive. Take apart a child's electric 'jeep' and mount the drive to the bottom of a plywood hull outline in Plan View?
A set of rubber bottomed plywood 'cleats' or bollards can easily be put along a dock- and young people could begin to learn the basics of line handling and what spring lines are and how they might aid a boater? Knots, lines, hoisting and rigging, there are numerous aspects of boat handling that lead in all sorts of directions that you as a knowledgeable boater know and understand- and all of that could be formalized enough to contribute to a marine science part of home schooling program.
There are few limits to the number of topics that can be explored with a young person who's interested in boats. Your imagination is the only limit- that and an attitude of willingness to share your knowledge with others, especially those younger.
I'm currently involved with one family leading their teenager in learning to design and build welded aluminum boats. Perhaps you're not a builder? and that scope is more than you can offer- but there are subjects you could offer to help teach. We've started on three fronts all at one time. Drawing on the drafting board with traditional tools (CAD will come later) so the ideas of hand drawing and lots of practice doing it the old ways- also we're discussing skiff design specifically- and we're drawing those too. Step by step we've progressed from somewhat homely and less sophisticated lines by a complete beginner to seeing clean lines, fair shapes, an eye for proportion and are shortly to begin modeling the first in a series of hull models to scale. And last, we've begun to weld using stick rod and running padding beads on thick plate steel. I intend to move as time allows on to the next step in each area of learning until he's able to design and build his own boat. Don't know how long that will be but.... if he's willing to learn, I'm willing to teach.
I enjoy my few hours a week with the young man I'm teaching, and I think you would as well? So I'm suggesting that you explore what you might be able (and willing) to share in the way of your boating knowledge with younger people.
I do realize that some home school programs are controlled by the gummint schools, and those are likely not worth contributing to? But there are other much less controlled programs where you can find a niche- and with a little planning can make a worthwhile contribution to some young persons' education.
Cheers
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK